Millinery

Interesting article! Mantuas needs more love and I think you look gorgeous in yours. I find it facinating that tis gown is very much the grandparent to both the robe francasie and and anglaise and that it all evolved from imported clothes from Asia. I plan to make a very early mantua, 1670's out of a bolt of striped kimono fabric I have, just to see how it would work out. There will a lot of piercing in the skirt...

daisy1 3 years 8 months

mantua

So no boned support under the petticoat? My imagination said bum roll or pocket hoops or something, but was there a time when they weren't used?

hirondelle 3 years 8 months

with the earlier types, when a more vertical silhouette was preferred, no skirt supports were necessary - later mantuas, however, in the 18th century, do need them - as the style departs from the elongated form to a more horizontal aspect:-)

lady_dd 3 years 2 months

Thanks so much for posting this. I interpret 1690s Massachusetts (specifically the Salem Witch Trials) and have been toying with making a silk mantua for an upper-class character, as gentry-level clothing tends to be very under-represented locally. This is very helpful and it's inspiring to see someone wear a fontage and carry it off! The drapery at the back of the mantua is truly lovely.